This invention relates generally to air conveyors, and in particular a new and novel plenum and cross block for air conveyors of the type used for the movement of bottles, containers, and similar objects.
In bottling and manufacturing operations, whether it be the bottling of food products, drinks, household or industrial cleaners, or other liquids and fluids, the operation of an efficient production facility often requires the ability to transport large numbers of bottles quickly, efficiently and inexpensively. Today, a very significant number of liquid products that are commercially produced are bottled and sold in plastic bottles, and most commonly polyethylene bottles.
A variety of different mechanisms and devices have been developed in order to permit bottlers, bottle manufacturers, and bottling facilities to transport bottles or containers to different stages throughout a bottling or manufacturing plant. One such device that has proven to provide an efficient and economical way to rapidly transport large numbers of plastic bottles is a pneumatic or air conveyor system. Such systems typically comprise a generally enclosed chamber or plenum having a pair of bottle neck supports mounted on its bottom surface from which a series of plastic bottles can be suspended. Adjacent to the bottle neck supports there is positioned a louver system that directs or diverts pressurized air from the interior of the plenum toward the bottles to effectively drive the bottles along the length of the plenum and the conveyor system.
One of the primary difficulties encountered when utilizing pneumatic conveyor systems of the type described above is a vertical mis-alignment of plastic bottles as they are driven or transported along the length of the conveyor. A common reason for mis-alignment of the bottles is an improper positioning of the bottle neck supports. Typically the bottle neck supports are bolted to the bottom surface of the plenum, which in many cases in not perfectly perpendicular to the sides of the plenum, thereby causing the bottles to be tilted to one side or the other when traveling along the conveyor. Since pneumatic conveyors are often comprised of a large number of plenum sections, the mis-alignment of the bottle neck supports may be different for subsequent or adjacent plenum sections. As a result, a bottle traveling along the length of a conveyor may be sporadically driven out of vertical alignment in opposite directions as it passes along the conveyor. The mis-alignment of bottles traveling along the conveyor results in a decrease in the efficiency in the number of bottles moved per unit time, and can also result in the jamming or backing up of a series of bottles, particularly at corners or places along the conveyor where there is a significant change in the direction of transportation. During high speed transport, a mis-alignment of bottles can have dramatic consequences and cause a back-up or jamming effect, thereby reducing the overall throughput of the system.
To combat this problem others have utilized horizontal rails or bottle guides that extend downwardly from the sides of the plenum and that help to contain or limit the amount of vertical displacement of the bottles as they are transported. While such devices have met with some success, when a bottle is out of vertical alignment and contacts such guide mechanisms or rails, there is an increased frictional resistance placed upon the linear movement of the bottle that has a tendency of reducing the conveyor""s overall capacity. Excessive contact between the bottles and horizontal guide rails can also result in a marking or scoring of the exterior surface of the bottle. In addition, regardless of the use of horizontal guide rails, severely misaligned bottles may still jam and cause a stoppage of production.
The invention therefore provides a plenum for a pneumatic conveyor, and a cross block for use in such a plenum, that assists in maintaining the vertical alignment of bottles and the like suspended from the plenum, and that assists in facilitating the movement of bottles and the like along the length of a pneumatic conveyor.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects the invention provides a plenum for a pneumatic conveyor of the type used for the movement of bottles and the like, the plenum comprising a central housing for receiving pressurized air, said central housing having generally enclosed top and side panels, and having a generally open bottom; a cross block positioned within said central housing and generally spanning across its width; at least two bottle neck support means, said bottle neck support means permitting bottles to be suspended from said plenum; air diversion means to divert pressurized air from the interior of said central housing to said bottle neck support means to drive bottles along the length of said plenum; and, means to enclose said open bottom of said central housing; wherein said cross block fixes the vertical positioning of said bottle neck support means to maintain said bottle neck support means in a parallel and co-planer configuration thereby helping to maintain the vertical alignment of bottles and the like suspended from said plenum and facilitating in their movement along the length of said plenum.
In a further aspect the invention provides a cross block for use in a pneumatic conveyor, the pneumatic conveyor generally of the type having a substantially enclosed plenum, the cross block comprising a frame member dimensioned to be received within and secured to the interior of the plenum, said frame member having means to maintain bottle neck support means in a parallel and co-planer relationship to thereby help maintain the vertical alignment of bottles or the like when suspended by the bottle neck support means and transported along the conveyor.
In yet a further aspect the invention provides a cross block for use in a pneumatic conveyor, the pneumatic conveyor being generally of the type having a substantially enclosed plenum with top, side and bottom surfaces, the cross block assisting in maintaining the vertical alignment of bottles and the like suspended from and transported along the conveyor, the cross block comprising a frame member being generally rectangular in configuration with end surfaces that are parallel and a bottom surface that is perpendicular to said end surfaces, said frame member dimensioned to be received within and secured to the interior of the plenum so as to extend between and be fastenable to the side surfaces of the plenum, said frame member including means to retain at least two bottle neck support means in a parallel and co-planer relationship such that said bottle neck support means are perpendicular to the side surfaces of the plenum to thereby assist in maintaining the vertical alignment of bottles or the like suspended from and transported along the conveyor.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.